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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
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Detail Pages
The Dorset, Lewes
Cliffe
Postal town: Lewes
BN7 2RD
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Dorset
Please put a notice on the front doors to enter via the beer garden at the rear! Another issue was that there were two sets of double doors next to one another at the rear, both in use to the customers. Unfortunately the 20 somethings tended to use the door side that slammed every time they went in and out. Three attractive looking handpumps finished with turquoise handles from Harvey's dispensing Sussex Best, Sisters and Old Ale.
On 18th April 2025
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3645 recommendations about 3645 pubs]
Will Larter left this review about The Dorset
Our least impressive pub of they day, with service by inexperienced bar staff noticeably below what we had seen in other Lewes pubs on the day. Our halves of Harvey's Sisters, a 3.4% version of Sussex Best,was pleasant enough at first, but soon became tiresome, or perhaps it was our taste buds that were tired? I'm not sure this is a pub that is aimed at cask ale aficionados.
On 11th April 2025
- rating: 5
[User has posted 4273 recommendations about 3935 pubs]
David Walton left this review about The Dorset
Visited 23/01/25. Previously visited on 11/05/19.
A couple of Harvey's quaffs on hand pump, the omnipresent Best and the currently as almost consistently present Old Ale. Keg was Guinness, Moretti, Stella, Inch's cider, Fosters, Amstel, Stowford Press cloudy cider, Corona, Camden Hells and the Harvey's keg beers of the Pells Pale, Wharf IPA and the lager.
Front bar area was well populated and noisy on my late evening visit. curved dark wood bar counter in a bare boarded room with unused fire grate and dart board. Mixture of regular tables and tall tables and quite a few bonfire photos on the left-hand wall. Back bar was also bare boarded apart from a carpet square in front of a large, also unused fireplace with a couple of large leather sofas in front of the fireplace and some regular tables behind. To the left of this area was another dining area with regular tables and chairs but totally unused on my visit as diners were packed around the front and back bar areas. There is an outside seating area at the back with picnic style benches overlooking the public car park. This is only my second ever visit here probably reflecting that there are simply better pubs in the town centre, without saying this place is poor, it is just average in the grand scheme of things and certainly by the high standards that other places set here.
On 7th April 2025
- rating: 5
[User has posted 631 recommendations about 631 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Dorset
A slightly hidden away Harvey's local on the side-street out of Cliffe to (South) Malling, with a bar that has been opened out and refurbished at some stage but its character probably remains little altered in recent years. The most notable feature is probably the effigy of a cardinal (?) beside the front door, explained by this being the home of one of the (in)famous Lewes bonfire societies. Anyway, on the real ale front, Sussex and the Old Ale (£4.40, and in excellent condition) were available from the pair of handpumps.
On 8th November 2020
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8679 recommendations about 8678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Dorset
Traditional Harvey's pub with six handpumps and a decent range of Harveys Beers. Refurbed a good number of years ago ,its smart but I found it to be rather characterless and not a place I would make a bee-line to if back in Lewes.
On 19th July 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2151 recommendations about 2118 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Dorset
The Dorset is a Harvey’s pub with a decent location, close to the town centre and brewery, but tucked away so as to avoid the majority of the tourist crush. Entering at the front, there is a choice of bars, with a pleasant snug to the right with limited seating and a small fireplace, and a saloon bar to the left. This area has a few standard tables and chairs, dark red walls and muted lighting all of which creates a nice ambiance. There are some nice features here including some examples of stained and etched glass, which the area at the back of the pub seems to have missed out on. This rear area is partly carpeted, partly tiled with some comfy sofas arranged in front of a nice open range which was lit on my visit. This fireplace also serves a small, three table dining space behind, which has some old photos of other Harvey’s pubs on the wall. A door here leads out to a large paved area with lots of picnic benches around a gnarly old tree and stairs lead up to the B&B accommodation, with 6 en suite rooms available. Music was playing throughout my stay at a decent level, although there was a distressingly high proportion of Justin Bieber-esque rubbish.
Three ales and two real ciders were available, with Harvey’s Best, Old Ale and Bonfire Boy on the hand pumps. I gave the Old Ale a try and was pleased to find it in very good nick. The staff were young but personable and prompt in their service.
As others have said, this place doesn’t quite hit the mark in terms of character, although I thought there were glimpses of potential. In isolation, this is a pretty good pub, but taken in the context of Lewes’ other excellent ale houses, it doesn’t quite make the grade.
On 30th November 2012
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Dorset
This feels rather like the Harvey's showpiece pub. Thoroughly refurbished throughout with pub designer-type fittings, plus the occasional inserted fireplace and other accessories. Saved by having a slightly random layout, so you can find a corner somewhere. Good range of Harveys beers; food and accommodation available. Good access for wheelchairs etc. Safe enough for a drink, but not exciting.
On 19th July 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3641 recommendations about 3576 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about The Dorset Arms
I found this pub to be very food orientated and I'm always suspicious of pubs that advertise an a la carte menu, especially when it is only on a Friday and Saturday night. My wife and I decided that we should eat before we started our crawl of Lewes and I will report that our sandwiches were a bit on the pricey side for what they were and I did start to get very irritated by the bong coming out of a speaker at the side of the bar that lets the staff know that there is food ready to pick up.
The pub consists of a small public bar with a toad-in-the-hole table which was probably the nicest part of the pub and a rather bland L-shaped main bar area that stretches around to a large fireplace that segregates a few more tables in the far corner. There is also a dining type area at the rear and plenty of seating out the back which overlooks a car park. The wife did argue that it was very clean and the staff didn't stop working even when there were no customers, so 10/10 for effort.
Best, Star of Eastbourne, Old Ale and Armada were all available from the Harveys Brewery along with Old Rosie and Westons for the cider drinkers.
I didn't spot any TV and the music was so low that I wondered why they had bothered putting it on.
The staff were nice enough, but I think that there are better places to drink in the area.
On 4th November 2009
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5965 recommendations about 5931 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
paulof horsham left this review about The Dorset Arms
Offers half-a-dozen rooms and, to be honest, The Dorset does have the feel of a hotel bar about it. Service was pretty slow on my visit, too, mainly due to tourists unfamiliar with the routine and food orders.
There's positives as well: beer is Harveys and pretty good. Plenty of outside seating on the sunny side of a quiet street a minute or two from Cliffe High Street (and the brewery).
On 8th July 2009
- rating: 6
[User has posted 554 recommendations about 516 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Clive Thompson left this review about The Dorset Arms
You can't really get away from Harvey's in Lewes, and the Dorset serves a decent pint in comfortable if unremarkable surroundings. You need to be a great pub to be a good pub in Lewes and this place probably just hangs on thanks to it's food offering.
On 14th June 2009
- rating: 5
[User has posted 780 recommendations about 697 pubs]